Photo by Deb Gau Cottonwood resident Catie Dahl was the first person on the ice when a man and a dog fell into Cottonwood Lake last month

COTTONWOOD — Catie Dahl saw the pickup truck sinking through the ice on Cottonwood Lake.

What happened next was kind of a blur, she said.

Dahl, a Cottonwood resident and mother of four, threw on a coat and rushed out to help the pickup’s driver.

“I just wanted him to know somebody was coming,” Dahl said.

This week, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office and Cottonwood Fire and Ambulance honored Dahl with a life-saving award for helping rescue a 68-year-old Cottonwood man and his dog from the freezing lake on Jan. 20.

“It was Catie’s, quick, selfless actions that prevented the loss of life that day,” Lyon County Sheriff Eric Wallen said in a statement posted to Facebook.

The man rescued from the lake, Mike Kurtenbach of Cottonwood, also thanked Dahl for saving him and his dog Millie. On Jan. 23, Kurtenbach posted on Facebook, “Thanks Catie Dahl for helping me and Millie on Monday when I fell into the ice.” He also posted, “Thank you Lakeside Companion Animal Clinic for taking care of Millie after we fell into the lake.”

Dahl said she was at home on maternity leave with her youngest daughter the day the truck went through the ice. She said her husband had heard an emergency page reporting the accident, and called her.

“He said, ‘Hey, look out our window,’ “ Dahl said. Outside, she could see the pickup, with its cab sinking into the lake.

“I kind of just blacked out,” Dahl said of her response.

She told her children to be safe, and went out to the pickup driver.

“I couldn’t really tell how thick (the ice) was,” Dahl said. “I just got on my hands and knees and crawled out to him.”

Dahl said she could only really see the man’s head and hands above the ice. The man also had a small dog with him.

“He said, ‘Help my dog,’ “ Dahl said.

Dahl said she helped free the dog from the ice, and grabbed the man’s hands.

“I didn’t know if I would be able to pull him out,” she said. She stayed with the man until rescuers from the Cottonwood Fire Department and Ambulance were able to help pull him out with ropes and a sled, she said.

The man was taken to Avera Marshall Medical Center, while the dog was taken to Lakeside Companion Animal Clinic on Cottonwood for care.

Wallen said both are now back home and doing well.

Wallen said Dahl’s actions made a difference in responding to the accident.

“It was really cold, and time was of the essence,” Wallen said Thursday.

He estimated that air temperatures were around 10 degrees below zero that day. Without Dahl holding on to the driver and talking to him, “He might not have had the energy to hang on until the rescuers got there,” Wallen said.

Dahl said it was a strange feeling to receive the life-saving award.

“I don’t know that I did anything special,” she said. “I’m so thankful I was there.”

The accident Jan. 20 was the second time this winter a vehicle went into Cottonwood Lake. This year, there have been areas of thin ice and open water on the lake, Dahl said. On Jan. 22, the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office closed the lake to vehicle traffic.